How to Extend Your Gadgets' Battery Life

Batteries wear out. It's a sad fact of life for notebook, cell phone, iPod, and other gadget users, but it's true. The Consumerist has five quick tips on keeping batteries alive as long as possible. Start with these two:

• Do not set your laptop on a bed, couch, pillow, or in some cases your lap. This will heat up the laptop due to poor ventilation and destroy the battery.
• Kill it once a month. Once a month allow the battery to go through a complete charge cycle. If you are using a laptop or cell phone, just pay attention to the warning message that tells you to plug it in and you should be fine.